MOCA Jacksonville

Wednesday on First Coast Connect, we spoke with UF Health Jacksonville CEO Dr. Leon Haley on the troubles in Tallahassee of getting the legislature to agree on Medicaid funding and approving a budget UPDATE - a budget was agreed upon Wednesday afternoon. There will now be a three-day “cooling off” period before the vote by the legislature (01:12).

Ahead of the City Rescue Mission’s Annual Difference Makers Banquet we spoke with Executive Director Penny Kievet and FCS Ministries Founder and Toxic Charity author Robert Lupton who’ll be speaking at the banquet (25:45).

MOCA Jacksonville’s Caitlin Doherty and artist Anila Quayyum Agha joined the show to talk about Anila’s Project Atrium exhibit, The Greys In-Between (35:30).

Duval County Public Schools Arts Director Jeff Smith and members of the district’s Arts Advisory Council - Erin Kendrick and Shawn Pfaffman - told us about March being Arts in Our Schools Month for DCPS (46:00).

Thursday on “First Coast Connect, we spoke with the new director of Jacksonville’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Caitlin Doherty. We heard about an upcoming seminar regarding cochlear implants from Dr. Elizabeth Selle of The Hearing Center at Jacksonville Hearing & Balance Institute. New York artist Michael Alan told us about his upcoming his live show Friday at Space 42 and Tree Hill Nature Center executive director Mark Mummaw told us about Saturday’s Joseph A. Strasser Butterfly Festival.

WJCT’s Lindsey Kilbride; Tessa Duval from the Florida Times-Union; Claire Goforth of Folio Weekly; and Florida Politics reporter A.G. Gancarski joined Melissa Ross on our Friday Media Roundtable to discuss the news of the week. Museum of Contemporary Art spokesperson Denise Reagan discussed its latest art exhibit “Retro-spective.” We heard from Olympic skating legend Michelle Kwan regarding her work for the Hillary Clinton campaign and Palestinian musicians the Dal’Ouna Ensemble joined the show ahead of its performance Friday evening at the Ramallah Club of Jacksonville.

A Georgia prosecutor is seeking the death penalty in the murder of 71-year-old Father Rene Robert of St. Augustine, who was killed last April Burke County Georgia.

A deeply troubled young man, 28-year-old Steven Murray, has already confessed to the crime.

Tobert was a priest firmly opposed to the death penalty, so much so that he signed a document called a “Declaration of Life,” declaring that if he should ever himself be murdered, he did not want to see his killer be put to death.

Florida Times-Union investigative reporter Eileen Kelley examined this and other aspects of the case, including Murray's history of being sexually assaulted, in a recent article. She joins us to discuss it

Topics include the Florida Supreme Court ordering the state legislature to redraw several congressional district maps -- including the one represented by Northeast Florida Congresswoman Corrine Brown -- the Andrew Jackson statue in downtown being vandalized twice in the past week, and more.

Opposition is growing around the state after the Jacksonville City Council last week passed a moratorium designed to block any operation connected to the low potency strain of medical marijuana known as Charlotte’s Web. Florida families who have children with cancer and epilepsy are advocating the legalization of low-THC marijuana to treat their kids. The Florida Department of Health began accepting applications for low-THC cultivation businesses last week. There will be only five licenses approved, one for each of five different geographic locations in the state.

A new photography exhibit at Jacksonville’s Museum of Contemporary Art focuses on the American South. Southern Exposure: Portraits of a Changing Landscape features the work of seven renowned photographers.

The project looks at the stories the land can tell.

MOCA Jacksonville Assistant Curator Jaime DeSimone says she knew the new show would be about the South.

“It took us awhile to understand and refine what that meant. Eventually we decided to focus only on the land,” DeSimone said. “Most of the photographs that you’re seeing don’t include people.”

Note: This episode was recorded in from of a live audience at MOCA Jacksonville the night of April 9, 2015.

On our final broadcast from the One Spark 2015 crowdfunding festival, we look at what goes into choosing the winning projects for several special awards with jurors Lukas Costas, Grace Belangia, Jay Harris and Jane Evans.

Jason Pratt, co-owner of the outdoor design company and successful One Spark 2014 creator Pratt Guys, and One Spark volunteer Kristyn Galane join us to discuss what goes into making the festival happen.